The TINS Lecture. Understanding the roles of Otx1 and Otx2 in the control of brain morphogenesis.
The murine homologs of the orthodenticle ( otd) gene of Drosophila, Otx1 and Otx2, have an important role in brain morphogenesis.Analysis of Otx1 and Otx2 null mice reveals that Otx1 is required primarily for corticogenesis and sense-organ development,while Otx2 is necessary for specification and maintenance of anterior neural plate as well as for proper gastrulation. Cross-phylum recoveries of Otx1 abnormalities by Drosophila otd, and vice versa, indicate that genetic functions required in mammalian-brain development evolved in a primitive ancestor of flies and mice. Knock-in mouse models in which Otx2 was replaced with Otx1, and vice versa, provide evidence that the existence of Otx1-/- and Otx2-/- divergent phenotypes largely reflects differences in expression patterns rather than in the biochemical activity of OTX1 and OTX2. In evolutionary terms, some of these findings lead us to hypothesize a fascinating and crucial role for Otx genes that contributes to the genetic program required for the specification of the development of the vertebrate head.[1]References
- The TINS Lecture. Understanding the roles of Otx1 and Otx2 in the control of brain morphogenesis. Acampora, D., Simeone, A. Trends Neurosci. (1999) [Pubmed]
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